Bhubaneswar, Dec. 7: The recent calling of applications by the Orissa Public Service Commission for filling up of 153 vacancies at 14 government polytechnic institutes under the industries department has run into trouble.

The last recruitment into the polytechnic institutes was conducted in 1992. Since then, there have been contractual appointments.

“They have designated us as “resource persons”.

The name sounds good, but the salary, when compared with regular lecturers, is too low.

“While it is Rs 35,000 for the regular lectures, for us it is not more than Rs 9,500,” said Pratibha Purohit, a resource person appointed in 2004.

Now, with the OPSC’s call for regular appointments, at least 50 “resource persons” have approached the court. Following this, the court has issued a stay order on the recruitments till the hearing is over. “There are people who have served for over 10 years. We have wasted the most important period of our lives in these institutes hoping that we will be regularised. Now, they have come out with fresh recruitment drives ignoring us,” said Banita Samal, another resource person.

Moreover, the eligibility criteria is vague, rued Monalisa Jena, another resource person. When there were advertisements calling for resource persons on contract basis in government polytechnics, they had asked for first class bachelors degree with first class diploma in the subject.